Abstract

Background: Older people experience reduced food intake and undernutrition due to masticatory and swallowing dysfunctions and cognitive disorders.  Studies on the association between oral condition and nutrition in older people are difficult to conduct because of the participant's advanced age and co-existing medical conditions. This study aimed to investigate the changes in oral conditions and body weight loss of older people in an aged care nursing  home.

Methods: Fifty-two residents of an aged care nursing home were included in this study and assessed twice between 2014 and 2020. A number of arameters were evaluated by dental care professionals of the nursing home. The association between oral conditions and bodyweightwas statistically analyzed.

Results: This study included 12 men and 40 women. The mean ages of the participants at the first and second assessments were 86.7 and 88.6 years,  respectively. The median interval between assessments was 27 months. At the second assessment, there were 25 and 27 participants without and with weight loss, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the rate of removable denture use and refusal of oral care and daily total calories between first and second assessments. There were no statistically significant differences of all parameters at the first assessment between theweight loss and no weight loss groups.

Conclusion: The rate of removable denture use and daily total calories reduced, and the rate of refusal of oral care increased over time in the older residents. There was no statistical difference in weight loss between twice assessments.